Blanks
by romeoharvey
Summary: BillyKara pairing. Also mentions others. AU
1. Chapter 1

_-Just outside Lee's office-_

"Lee! I-, I thought... When Doc Cottle stopped me in the corridor this morning he said there was a lot of blood, but not to worry because you and Dee were going to a better place in a little while."

"Yeah, we went to Cloud 9, I was picking up some blood that Cottle's been demanding for weeks, and Dee volunteered to come help me. They had a very successful blood drive over there. Kara, what's wrong, you're as white as a sheet!"

Grabbing her wrist to check her pulse, Lee looked more closely at her disheveled appearance, she looked like she'd been crying, and she was starting to shake.

Replaying what Kara had just said, he started getting a suspicious idea.

"Wait, where did you think I was?"

"What would you have thought, I mean, Cottle said you'd gone to a better place, isn't that what people say when a loved one has died?" Kara choked out between sobs.

Stunned, Lee just looked at her, amazed and a bit frightened at the same time that tears were now flowing from her eyes. His reverie was interrupted by the hatch to his office flying open and a man jumping out, it took Lee longer than it should have to identify the man as President Roslin's aide, Billy.

"I finally found my tie, it was behind the book shelf." Billy stated proudly, holding up said tie so Kara could see it... and realized it wasn't just Kara he was displaying his rediscovered tie to. Quickly pulling it down he suddenly found patterns on the tie that were so much more interesting than the sight in front of him...

Taking in Billy's suit, which looked as if it had been torn off recently, and reexamining Kara's outfit, it wasn't too difficult for Lee to figure out what had happened between the two, in _his_ office of all places!


	2. Chapter 2

Dragging her feet, Kara made her way to the flight deck. She was supposed to have already been done with her pre-flight check, but she wanted to put it off for as long as possible. Usually she would be grateful for the next few hours, but after her encounter with Lee that morning, she wasn't looking forward to spending six hours flying with him.

"_Be thankful that he's here for you to be nervous about flying with!" _Starbuck scolded herself. She just couldn't get over thinking he was dead. There had been the sense that nothing would ever be okay again, that life would always be tinged with an emptiness. And at the very base of all those feelings, she felt, and this she was most confused about, glad.

Not glad that Apollo was gone, but glad that they were free of each other now. Just as she had been realizing this, she saw Billy, and with the invisible, but binding chain to Apollo suspended from her mind, she also saw that she was attracted to the President's aide. Very attracted, even if she wanted to she couldn't have stopped herself from pulling Billy into the closest empty room and kissing him like there was no tomorrow.

Kara smirked, thinking of Billy's high pitched yelp when her lips touched his for the first time. She had been about to apologize and run out of the room, but he gently held her in place and kissed her back. _"And it's great he did..." _she thought, remembering the sensual, passion-filled hours that followed, her smirk turning into a grin as she finally made it to the flight deck.

Lee had been forcing himself to forget all about his encounter with Starbuck this morning, and he had been successful... until he saw he walking to her viper... looking like she'd just won the best triad game of her life.


	3. Chapter 3

"Gentlemen, if you don't mind, can we continue this in the morning?" Laura spoke up when she spotted Commander Adama nodding off for the third time in the last hour.

The room readily agreed, Commander Adama and his XO picking up their share of the paperwork and bidding good night. Just as Billy was about to follow suit. He felt President Roslin gazing at him. Looking down he saw that his suit was just fine, so she couldn't be staring at him because of that. Oh no! Now she was smiling, the smile that said she was going to ask something that was sure to be awkward, something-

"So Billy, how are you?"

Oh, that's not so hard, _"No, don't relax, she's leading up to the awkward part."_ Deep down Billy knew it was unprofessional, but he could help but remember questions his mother had asked him when she had that curious glint in her eye. Questions about his love life, how it was going, was there a special girl he had his sights set on? Maybe one he wanted to bring home during the holidays?

"I'm fine."

"Good, good, that's great."

"Yeah"

"So -bigger smile- How's Dee?"

"_Oh no, Oh no, Oh no..." _"Umm, I think she's fine."

"You think, didn't you see her when we took the break?"

Taking a deep breath, Billy replies "No, but I did see her this morning. We decided to start seeing other people."

"Really?" Patting the seat closest to her, Laura indicated he should sit. When he settled enough so that the deer in the headlights look had (mostly) fled his expression, Laura asked "So who have you decided to see?"

In that instant Billy found religion. _"Lords of Kobol, here my prayer, please, please make this floor open up an swallow me whole."_

Seeing mortification overtake him, Laura felt guilt overtake _her._ Billy had been very private about Dee, so it made sense he'd also be holding his cards close to him about any new woman. Yet it still didn't cease her curiosity. She'd noticed how her aide had been watching every minute pass, probably hoping to meet this woman, And he'd been late coming back from their break. If there was one thing she'd learned about Billy in all these months, it was that he's never late for anything. Not a deadline, an appointment, nothing. Laura was just about to say forget it, until Billy suddenly spoke up...

"Starbuck."

... and she wished he hadn't.

"What?" Billy asked, seeing Laura cringe upon hearing Kara's call sign.

Pulling on her smooth, polite mask, Laura replied "Nothing, I mean, that's great. I'm sure she's a very nice young lady when you get to know her."

"No, that's not what you were thinking."

"_Damn!"_ "It's just that I'd like you to be with a more... stable woman."

"_OK, there's the proof! Somehow, someway, my mother told Laura Roslin what kind of woman she thought I should be with." _"I don't believe there's anything mentally wrong with Kara."

"Of course not! I meant that you should be with a woman who's calm and, and... You know what, this is not my business, it's your choice who you date." Laura stammered out when she realized there wasn't anything she could say that wouldn't sound like she was insinuating Billy couldn't make his own choices on who to become romantically involved with.

"Yes. It is my choice." _"I wish mom had come to the same conclusion."_

"Absolutely."

Realizing that he was being dismissed, Billy got up and gathered his folders. As he was stepping out of the hatch he looked back at Laura.

"So I'll see you at 6 am.?"

Looking up at him Laura smiled, this time it was warm. "Yes you will. Have a good night."

Smiling back, he stepped out of the hatch. Instead of going to the guest quarters, he made his way to the rec room, where Kara had said she'd be when he saw her earlier that day.

Hope someone is having fun reading this.

I always forget to put the disclaimer, but I'm sure many of you figured out I don't own the show, and there is no way I'm making a profit from this.


	4. Chapter 4

"Starbuck!"

Halting her jog, Kara turned around to see Commander Adama briskly walking towards her. Her first thought was that she was in trouble, but as she concentrated on the old man's face all she found was concern.

"Commander Adama, sir." She nodded when he stopped an arm-length away. Kara smiled, glad to see him (and that he wasn't mad at her), but the smile dissolved when she felt the waves of something she never expected to come from this man: unease. Instantly she wanted to comfort him from whatever was troubling him, but she could for the life of her think of what to say. _"Well, he is the superior officer, and the one who stopped _you_, so wait for him to say something."_

Finally, after a few quiet, not totally awkward moments, he started speaking. "Kara, you know I really do consider you a daughter."

At this statement Kara blushed and nodded her agreement. _"And I consider you a father." _Kara thought to herself, but didn't say it out loud.

"You know you can tell me anything. Like any problems you might be having." Bill told her in a discreet tone of voice.

Frowning, Kara looked at him in askance. "Problems?"

Looking everywhere but in her direction, Bill elaborates: "I was just in a meeting with Lee." Seeing that this produces no reaction, he continues, "He said you haven't been sleeping in your bunk this whole week, and he mumbled that you have some problems." These words earned Bill a view of several emotions as he watched her face. First was a look of pure embarrassment, which was followed by a look of pure bliss, then Kara seemed to snap out of whatever memory had bought that on. Then she looked as if she might start laughing, but that may just have been his imagination, as there was a sudden spike of fury when he got to the word "problems".

"No, sir. I don't have any problems, maybe Apollo does." Kara said through clenched teeth, carefully ignoring the part about where she had been sleeping, knowing that the old man wouldn't press her on it; he had looked a bit uncomfortable when he had been relating that portion of what Lee had said.

"Maybe." Commander Adama warily consented. He looked as if he was going to add more, but them thought better of it. He had hoped he could help bring about a resolution to the trouble his two children were having between each other; now he was seeing he may be making it worse. Nodding a dismissal to Kara, he sighed inwardly as she started jogging away. She was less than five yards from him when he spoke up again,

"Kara, the meeting I was just in, it was about the survivors on Caprica." At the end of the sentence she turned to look at him. "We're going to retrieve them."

_Note: Does anyone like the way I'm writing this? What do you think of the story so far? Is it remotely funny? What about the time lapses? If you could review and give me your opinions, that would just make my day._


	5. Chapter 5

"A very strange thing happened today," Began Colonel Tigh.

Adama looked over at him, his expression inviting the second officer to continue.

"I ran into Kara today, nearly knocked her over. You know what she did?"

Tigh, not the reports he should be reading, now held Commander Adama's full attention. "Was she hurt?"

With a slightly amused look in his eyes, Saul nodded no.

This reply seemed to pacify the Commander, who Saul thought had seemed as if he was about to call the infirmary to get a report on his favorite pilot. Thoughts came into Adama's mind of what Starbuck might have done, and he started inspecting his friends' face for any noticeable bruises.

Recognizing Bill's scrutiny for what it was, he said "No, she didn't hit me." Pausing for dramatic effect, Tigh then said, "She apologized for getting in my way."

Getting a look that went miles past skeptical, Saul insisted "Really. She even asked if I was okay. I think that little whim-, err, nice young man Billy is having a good effect on her."

Addressing him sharply, Adama asked "Billy? Roslin's aide? What does he have to do with Kara?"

Now it was Tigh's turn to send a look of skepticism, bordering on disbelief. "You don't know?"

"Don't know what?" Adama demanded, quickly getting frustrated, apparently he didn't know much about what was going on in Kara's life.

"That they've been dating the last month. Gods Bill! It's all the crew has been talking about. I don't think the survivors from Caprica even got a slight mention in the rumor mill when they came aboard."

Bill had to force his thoughts to stay straight, and he knew in that instant that this whole conversation as the beginning of a long headache. First off, wasn't there a gentleman among the survivors that Kara had began a relationship with? That's what he assumed when she was so insistent about going back to Caprica those first weeks after she returned. It had broken his heart to see the disappointment in her eyes when he had to tell her they couldn't.

And secondly, if this relationship had been going on for a month, why hadn't he heard about it before?

As if he could see the thoughts running through Bill's mind, Saul provided an answer to Bill's last question: "You remember how it was, no one wanted to gossip in front of the commander back when we were their positions, I doubt that's changed."

Mentally shaking himself from his thoughts, and nodding his agreement Colonel Tigh, Adama thought to himself: _"I'll have to find a date when I can get both Starbuck and Billy to meet with me in an informal setting. It's going to be hard with our conflicting schedules... Maybe I can invite Laura too, and make like it's one of our meetings. Yes, that's it. Billy's usually present for those, I'll just have to make sure Kara is free."_


	6. Chapter 6

"That's-" Kat paused to think of a word for what they were looking it, "That's _sickening_."

"Oh, I don't know, I think it's kinda cute." Countered her companion, Hotdog.

Kat continued to stare in fascination at the couple sitting three rows behind them in the Observation Lounge, until Hotdog's words finally registered. She turned around to look at him like he had two, no, three heads. "Cute? First off Costanza, the Colonial Military has a proud reputation of never using the word _cute _to describe one of it's officers; so don't go and trash it because you can't think before you speak! And secondly, viewing our CAG necking the Comm officer so enthusiastically that it feels they'll be outright frakking in a few minutes, in public, can NEVER be a good thing!"

Proud of himself, that he was only cowering a little, Hotdog hastily nodded his agreement.

88888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888

"That was awesome, the best." Billy stated in a contented voice.

Smirking, Starbuck articulated in a low voice, "You say that every time.", while licking away the last of the strawberry creme frosting from Billy's' abdomen.

Opening his eyes he said "That's because making love with you gets better every time."

Blushing, Kara looked into Billy's handsome, warm eyes, and in a voice bordering on mesmerized, told him, "You're wonderful. I've never had another sober man who actually enjoyed the, umm- you know..."

"Oh, yeah. They took some getting used to, but I'm completely okay with them now." Billy smiled to reassure Kara. In a slightly nervous voice, Billy said, "Unless you have time for another round, do you think you can undo the restraints?"

Biting her lip to reign in her smile, Kara released Billy's hands and forearms. _"I really shouldn't have joked the first time I put the ropes on him, he really is under the impression I'll leave him tied up."_

With his arms free, Billy, enveloped her in a bear hug, whispering "I love you."

Starbuck, instinctively, made a reply she hadn't even dared try out with Zak, "I love you more."

88888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888

OK, this chapter is a bit different than the others. What'd ya think:)


	7. Chapter 7

_NOTE: This chapter will lack most of the humor in the others, but I just had to write it as a set up for later chapters. No worries, it's still a BillyKara pairing. Also, I went through about five revisions, so if you could, tell me what you think of it?_

888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888

"_What am I doing here?"_ Sam Anders thought as he walked corridors of the Galactica.

Kara had barely spared him a glance. The only friend he had made was Helo, and maybe, only because Karl had dragged him over to meet the man a few days ago, Lee Adama.

At least when he starts training for the marines tomorrow, he won't have so much time on his hands to think about why Kara hasn't come to see, and, with her schedule, has made it impossible for him to go see her. _"Now see, you should have learned your lesson the first time: It's just not safe to give your heart to a woman, especially one who loves her job, and other men, more than she loves you."_

Sam's depressive thoughts ceased when he heard soft sobs coming from a supply closet. It sounded like a woman. His first thought was that he should check to see if she was alright. His second thought was that he felt like crying, but no one was stepping up to offer him comfort.

As he started walking away, the sobs got harsher. Sighing, Sam knew that he just couldn't leave whomever it was all alone, _"After all, I've always found misery is better spread around."_, he thought with a slight cynical smirk.

Knocking on the door, he asked, "Is something wrong?"

Getting no response, he asked a bit louder, "What's wrong?"

The sobs were a constant, but Sam still didn't hear an answer. Knocking again, he said, "I'm coming in."

Moving into the closet, it didn't take Sam a second to spot the woman huddled on the floor, her knees drawn close, and her face buried in them, he couldn't tell who she was. Her arms were covering her ears, which is probably why she didn't answer, or object when he opened the door.

Trying to get her attention, Sam tapped her lightly on the shoulder. She must really have been startled, as she instantly jumped up and punched him square in the jaw. "Who the hell are you, and what are you doing in here?"

Silently forgiving the woman for punching him, he answered, "Sam Anders, and I'm here because I thought-" He couldn't think of what to say, he's not all that sure himself why he couldn't just walk away. _"Whoever created the idea of chivalry should have been shot..."_

Sam continued, "I thought you might need someone. What's your name, anyways?

As the anger drained from her face, mortification set in. "Call me Dee. You could hear me out there?"

"Yeah." Sam answered. Hearing her gasp, he quickly added, "I think I'm the only person who heard you, the place is pretty empty."

All Dee did was nod, just beginning to get herself under control..

Stepping a bit closer, Sam comfortingly laid his hand on Dee's arm. "So, what's wrong?"

Having someone show her the slightest hint of compassion, Dee burst into tears once more and fell into Sam's arms. He reassuringly ran his hands up and down her back, until she muffled something into his chest. "What?"

Lifting her head up, Dee said again between sobs, "He dumped me."

"Oh." There wasn't much he could do about that.

"Things were going so well. I thought once _she_ found another man, he'd forget about her, but he didn't! He went out and found a woman just like her..." Dee confessed to the stranger that was holding her. Had she been less hurt (and a little more angry) at what she had witnessed a couple hours ago, she probably would have told him to frak off, and she most certainly wouldn't have collapsed into his embrace. But he was warm and radiated a feeling of ease, so she just hung on tighter.


	8. Chapter 8

"... And that's it for now. I'll see you both tomorrow morning to review your reports." Bill Adama stood up to salute his first officer and his CAG, bringing an end to their meeting.

Both men stood up and saluted the commander in return. As they were leaving, Saul turned around and said as an afterthought, "You know, we can have those reports on fuel consumption finished and handed to you by tonight."

Apollo nodded his agreement, "It would lessen your workload for tomorrow."

Already seated, Bill hardly spared them a glance as he replied, "No thanks. I have that meeting with President Roslin tonight."

It suddenly hit him that Saul and Lee may come in after the usual hour it took to finish a meeting with Laura, and could see his guests. _"If they interrupt us, it could take me another month to set this up again!" _

With that in mind, he looked directly at the pair and added "You know how Roslin hates intrusions. If you two were to walk in on a scheduled meeting between us, it could really set off her temper."

Catching the skeptical glances the men shot each other, Bill put on a shocked expression. "You've never witnessed her temper?"

When both of his officers slowly nodded no, commander Adama continued solemnly, "Consider yourselves lucky. It's not a pretty scene; she swears at the top of her lungs like a drunken, sex-starved sailor, and flings any sharp projectile she can find with an accuracy that would make a sniper envious. Ever wonder why poor Billy Keikeya always wears a traumatized expression? It's because she takes most of her anger out on him."

"Well if it's like that..." Saul managed to get out after a few moments of scandalized silence. Briefly, he thought that maybe his long-time friend had either lost it, or was putting them on, but William Adama wasn't that kind of man, was he?

To Lee it sounded as if his father was trying to get rid of them, and he would have tried to find out why, if he didn't have a gorgeous date tonight. Why Tigh was trying to get extra work, he would never understand... Then again, thinking of Ellen, maybe Saul did have a good reason for trying to stay busy.

"So we'll meet again tomorrow morning?" Lee asked. Seeing both of the older men nod, Lee walked away as quickly as possible, for fear that one of them might have more to add to the conversation. Tigh steeped out shortly after and headed in the direction of his quarters, maybe if Ellen wasn't there he could find out where she hidden the ambrosia.

Letting out a sigh of relief when he was finally alone, the commander got to work thinking about what he could do to distract Laura when she came that evening, so that he could interrogate Billy.

The thought had crossed his mind to ask for her help, but he figured the only way he could get any good info on Kara's relationship was to do it by intimidating her young man. And Laura metaphorically looking over his shoulder and telling him what to ask would just appear silly.


	9. Chapter 9

**Blanks**

**Chapter 9**

_**Disclaimer:** I don't own Battlestar Galactica_

_**Note: **Sorry for the delay, also this chapter, and the ones following it will be written in a different, hopefully better, style._

_Blanks : Blanks : Blanks_

In the stifling darkness of the Galactica, William Adama lays restless on his couch. His mind ruled by thoughts of what had transpired an hour ago, the main one being that he had, if not solely, had at least taken a large part in ruining the first serious relationship Kara had taken part in after Zak. The expression on her face in that moment she ran out will forever be seared into his memory.

_Laura had just finished her speech about how honesty was the best trait a relationship could have. It was clear that Billy agreed, and Kara was nodding, if a bit reluctantly, along with him. That should have hinted to him to keep his mouth shut, but despite years of military disciple, he couldn't stop himself from cynically asking Billy a moment later, "So you have no worries about Sam?"_

_When Kara shot him a look that screamed "Shut up!", was when he realized he'd made a faux pas. Before he could say anything, Billy turned his attention to Kara, "Who's Sam?"_

_The following half hour could only have been described as painful, for everyone, but mostly for Kara, who now had to explain why she had kept Sam a secret from him. It was when she'd mumbled the remark "It was just casual sex.", that Bill and Laura had gotten an in-depth look at the roots of the young couples' relationship. _

_For the first time since Adama had met the young man, Billy look somewhat angered, the anger following a look of contemplation. "So our relationship is just 'casual sex' for you?", Billy, also displaying a a surprising level of tactlessness asked, tossing down his fork and crossing his arms._

_This remark instantly made Kara go on the defensive, and if Billy hadn't been so thrown off by the fact Kara had kept a secret from him when he told _her_ everything, he would have known that was the wrong way to go. Forgetting that her Commander and the President were watching, Kara stood up and walked away from the table. Turning to look directly at Billy after pacing a few times, she spoke, "Well, isn't that how it started out for you?"_

_When he hadn't said anything, Kara took it another in a long line of rejections once a man found out about, well, the other men. She turned her gaze full of sorrow and more than a tinge of doom to Adama, before running out of the old man's quarters. _

_Laura and Billy had stayed in his quarters as he ran out after Kara. She was faster than he was, and he lost her after three turns. He spent ten minutes trying to search for her. Bill had been walking back to his quarters when Lee called out to him. When Lee reached him, Bill never expected that his son would envelop him in a tight hug and whisper in a strangled tone, "Nothing is going right."_

_Lee hadn't told him what was so wrong, as he let go a moment later and ran off, probably into the same black hole Kara had disappeared into._

_When Bill got back to his quarters, both of his guests were gone._

As Bill got up, giving up any pretense of sleep, he thought, _"Lee was right, everything is screwed."_


	10. Chapter 10

**Blanks**

**Chapter 10**

_**NOTE: ** There isn't enough humor in this chapter for me to justify having it as a category, just wanted to say that in the event anyone's wondering why I changed it. However, please keep in mind that this shouldn't be taken too seriously..._

_Blanks : Blanks Blanks_

Anastasia Dualla stomps out of the bunk room. Although instead of running away from her lovable frustration, she chooses to turn around and wait for him. She knows he will begin searching for her as soon as he realizes she left while he was dodging the pillows her fellow bunkmates were chucking in his direction, in an effort to silence Lee and thus enable them to get some hard-earned rest. Satisfaction flows over Ana when Lee does indeed tear out of the room, looking in every direction. It actually takes two sweeps of his gaze over her for him to really see her. When he does, Lee yells out, "Dee, wait!", while he covers the relatively short distance in a frantic jog.

Stopping just barely before she's in danger of being knocked to the floor, he grabs her arms, still thinking that she's going to run away. Yet, now that he's holding Dee, it's Lee who's struggling to face her, physically and emotionally, and not give in to the rather strong urge to run down the corridor, because he's smart enough to know he made a terrible mistake, and it's going to be a hard road trying to repair their relationship.

Looking into Ana's eyes, seeing the abundance of expectation and acceptance is what keeps Lee glued to the spot, though. And he softly runs a caressing hand from her temple to her chin, he speaks, "I love you, Dee, and if you can give me one last chance, I swear I'll prove to you how well I can love.". The growing smile on Dee's face lets Lee know what he doesn't have to say more; she already heard his apology about the other woman, and she forgives him.

Walking through the Galactica with her now silent company, Laura Roslin chances a glimpse, through a junction in the corridors, of Apollo and Dee. She makes sure that it's just a glimpse because they are locked in each others embrace, and are kissing, from what Laura let herself see, very deeply. Her companion, however, does not have such manners; he follows the direction of her gaze when he notices a hint of her cute little smirk, and insists on pulling her back to the corner to plaster her body between his and the icy wall so that they both have a relatively unobstructed view.

"Wow, I think she took my advice." Sam whispers into Laura's hair after a moment.

Elbowing him in the gut, to get him off of her, not to punish him or anything for taking the liberty of pressing their bodies in such an intimate fashion..., Laura claws onto his upper arm and drags him away, back on their way to the hanger deck, asking, "What advice?"

"Just that a little forgiveness goes a long way towards a lasting relationship." Sam answers. When Laura doesn't give a sign that she was even listening, he leans in close, well, as close as a man can get to the President of the Colonies when there are witnesses present, and whispers as discreetly as he ever has in his whole life, "So, did that little show give you any ideas?"

Sighing heavily, Laura looks around to be sure that they are isolated enough so that her next words won't be overheard, she says firmly, "Sam, I already told we can't be in a relationship, and before you ask the other question as well, I already told you why."

Trying his best not to sound like a petulant ten year old, Sam retorted, "And a pathetic reason it was. I mean, just because you had a bad experience with the star of your high school pyramid team doesn't mean your relationships with _all_ players of the sport are doomed. How long ago was that anyways? About twenty five years?"

It was only when Sam was on the receiving end of a blazing glare did he realize his error. "...I mean about ten years ago...? You know, you really don't look your age... Not that I think you're old or anything! I wouldn't be hitting on you if I thought-, well..., if I thought of you as motherly figure. To me, I mean! I'm not implying that you couldn't be a mother..."

At that point Laura ceases listening, and contemplates what could happen if she accepts Sam's advances, _"Hmmm, of all my past associations, I'd have to say the men who amused me without even trying held the most potential for a positive relationship."_

Refocusing her attention on Sam, she discovers that he is still attempting to atone for what he perceives as a major faux pas. The usually confident man can't seem to feel comfortable in his own skin, and in the small time lapse she wasn't really hearing him, he somehow lead himself into chattering about how fall fashion colors inspire low sugar diets.

"Sam!" Laura speaks up after a minute to get his attention. He looks at her, a confused expression on his face, saying, "What? I think it was very good of me to support saving the whales, especially since I still suffer from acute aqua-phobia."

It was Laura's turn to look confused, "What? Sam, I didn't understand a word-, oh, never mind, just forget it, I'll let you take me out on a date tomorrow evening, on one condition."

His face now sporting a huge grin, Sam asks Laura, "What condition?"

With a straight face, Laura replies, "Just let me do all the talking."

As they step onto the hanger deck, Sam makes a show of standing at attention before her, "Whatever you want Madame President.", ruining the effect a second later as he runs off, yelling over his shoulder, "I'm late for a training session!"

Smiling and shaking her head, Laura continues to the raptor waiting to take her back to Colonial One. As she steps in she collides with a very depressed looking Billy. Her aide hadn't been himself since that disastrous dinner they'd had with Starbuck and the commander a week ago. Earlier today, when she had firmly offered for him to take the day off, he had looked somewhere in her direction, and tonelessly accepted, "Okay..."

Now he grabs hold of the edge of the raptor entrance to prevent them both from falling over. "Madame President, are you alright?", were the almost instinctual words Billy uttered when he saw it was Laura who had almost knocked him down.

Stepping far away so that she wasn't in his personal space, but keeping a conversational distance between them, she answers the question and his worried expression, "I'm just fine Billy.", once relief washes over his face, Roslin ventures to ask the rather, to her, obvious question, "Why are you here."

Laura had assumed he was here to talk with Starbuck, so she's a little thrown off when Billy answers, "Commander Adama called, apparently he wants to see me alone. ...If I don't return to Colonial One by tomorrow, tell my replacement that he can find my notes in the black binder and clipboard laying on your desk."

"Really, Billy, I don't think Commander Adama is trying to kill you." Laura chides the young man. _"Hurt you, maybe, but not kill."_, She finishes the sentence in her mind.

"With all due respect Madame President, I believe the Commander is in fact trying to kill me." Billy insists, "Didn't you notice the way he was glowering at me yesterday? If you and all those reporters hadn't been in the conference room, he would have gone through with the elaborate plan I'm sure he has to end my life. And now, there will be no witnesses..."

Trying very hard not to roll her eyes, Laura asked, "Will it make you feel better if I promise to call Adama's office in approximately thirty minutes and ask to speak with you?", it's not that she disvalues Billy's life, just that she has been reassuring him for what feels like an eternity that Adama wasn't ready to toss him in front of an eager firing squad.

After contemplating her offer, Billy finally nods his acceptance, moving out of Laura's way so that she can enter the raptor and he can exit, "I'd better get going."

"Okay, make sure the commander isn't holding a gun." Roslin teases Billy as he ambles away.

Billy made sure not to rush, knowing what was in store for him. Kara had been avoiding him this whole week, and even though the president was trying to down play it, he knows that it's the evil vibes from Adama that he's currently drowning in. Kara had confided in Billy a couple of weeks into their relationship that the commander was like family, and he wasn't looking forward to an obviously pissed off father.

_Blanks : Blanks : Blanks_

Note: The next chapter will be the last and will actually deal with Billy/Kara. Feedback on how this chapter went would be nice.


End file.
